Eugena Washington named 2016 Playboy Playmate of the Year

Eugena Washington was crowned the 2016 Playboy Playmate of the Year at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills on Wednesday and the former "America's Next Top Model" contestant is absolutely stunning in her California-cool 10-page spread.

The 31-year-old model, who hails from Southern California, confessed in an exclusive interview with AOL Entertainment that she was initially in shock when she heard the news that she was Playmate of the Year.

Playboy execs convinced Washington to come meet them at at studio in Los Angeles about two months ago, but they didn't give her much information beyond that.

"They sat me down in this chair and they said, 'Eugena, we really need to talk to you," she shared. "I thought I was in trouble."

The scenario was so confusing that she joked that she couldn't decide if she was in trouble or if she was Playmate of the Year -- and just now the news is finally sinking in.

"I was like, Oh my God!' It's still hitting me right now," she said before adding that becoming Playmate of the Year was something she never planned for. "I don't take my life like that. I don't plan too hard because you'll miss blessings along the way that don't go along with your plans ... You have to go along with what life gives you."

And Eugena is definitely making her mark within the Playboy family. Not only does she have the first non-nude Playmate of the Year pictorial since the magazine moved in a different direction in February 2016, she's also the third black woman to snag the honor of Playboy Playmate of the Year.

"I think it's great. It's all about timing. I think the world is changing and I think we're seeing different visions and images of beauty and I think that everyone is accepting of each other. I think it is just a great time to have some diversity in the company. Not to say that there wasn't before, because Hef is definitely an advocate for civil rights. Hef definitely fought a lot for civil rights, but people need to see that. And I think this is a time where people see that he is accepting of all people. I am excited about it."

In her pictorial, shot by photographer Jason Lee Parry, the gorgeous model is posed in a variety of California-esque scenarios and it has a very 1960s, retro vibe. In several photographs, she's posed poolside with her long black hair down by her side and with a floppy hat. In another she's relaxed on a bed with a striped blanket, that gives the aura of an era gone by.

PHOTOS: Inside Eugena Washington's Playboy spread (Nudity warning)

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Eugena Washington's Playboy Spread

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Eugena Washington named 2016 Playboy Playmate of the Year

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In her cover photo, Washington is stretched out on an orange floaty in a pool with a cocktail in her hand, and her 5-foot-9-inch frame is on full display. And while she looks absolutely gorgeous, she admitted, she was actually freezing during the shoot.

"It was cold. I thought I was going to freeze to death. It was like the one and only cold day in LA that the Lord provided for me to shoot nude in a pool. It was overcast, it was rainy and it was windy. I was in there at least an hour."

How did she get through it? "Mind over matter. It's a Jedi mind trick."

Washington's spread and her bubbly, outgoing personality are a refreshing look for Playboy. And, let's face it, how can the brand go wrong with Washington, whose nickname is "Pie" because she's sweet as pie!

PHOTOS: Eugena Washington snags a 2017 Fiat Spider after winning Playmate of the Year

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Eugena Washington

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Eugena Washington named 2016 Playboy Playmate of the Year

HOLMBY HILLS, CA - MAY 11: Playboy Magazine reveals Eugena Washington as the 2016 Playmate of the Year at The Playboy Mansion on May 11, 2016 in Holmby Hills, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/WireImage)

HOLMBY HILLS, CA - MAY 11: Playboy Magazine reveals Eugena Washington as the 2016 Playmate of the Year at The Playboy Mansion on May 11, 2016 in Holmby Hills, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 11: Playboy Founder and Editor-In-Chief Hugh M. Hefner poses with 2016 Playmate of the Year Eugena Washington at Playboy's 2016 Playmate of the Year Announcement at the Playboy Mansion on May 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy)

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 11: Playboy Founder and Editor-In-Chief Hugh M. Hefner poses with 2016 Playmate of the Year Eugena Washington at Playboy's 2016 Playmate of the Year Announcement at the Playboy Mansion on May 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy)

HOLMBY HILLS, CA - MAY 11: Playmate of the Year Eugena Washington poses at Playboy Magazine Reveals The 2016 Playmate Of The Year at The Playboy Mansion on May 11, 2016 in Holmby Hills, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

HOLMBY HILLS, CA - MAY 11: Playmate of the Year Eugena Washington poses at Playboy Magazine Reveals The 2016 Playmate Of The Year at The Playboy Mansion on May 11, 2016 in Holmby Hills, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

HOLMBY HILLS, CA - MAY 11: Playmate of the Year Eugena Washington poses at Playboy Magazine Reveals The 2016 Playmate Of The Year at The Playboy Mansion on May 11, 2016 in Holmby Hills, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 11: 2016 Playmate of the Year Eugena Washington poses for a portrait during Playboy's 2016 Playmate of the Year Announcement at the Playboy Mansion on May 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy)

Playboy's 2016 Playmate of the Year Eugena Washington poses by her 2017 Fiat Spyder at the Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California on May 11, 2016.
Washington will appear on the cover of the magazine's June 2016 issue. / AFP / FREDERIC J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 11: 2016 Playmate of the Year Eugena Washington gets ready for Playboy's 2016 Playmate of the Year Announcement at the Playboy Mansion on May 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy)

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 11: 2016 Playmate of the Year Eugena Washington poses for a portrait during Playboy's 2016 Playmate of the Year Announcement at the Playboy Mansion on May 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy)

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 11: 2016 Playmate of the Year Eugena Washington poses for a portrait during Playboy's 2016 Playmate of the Year Announcement at the Playboy Mansion on May 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy)

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 11: 2016 Playmate of the Year Eugena Washington poses for a portrait during Playboy's 2016 Playmate of the Year Announcement at the Playboy Mansion on May 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy)

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 11: 2016 Playmate of the Year Eugena Washington poses for a portrait during Playboy's 2016 Playmate of the Year Announcement at the Playboy Mansion on May 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy)

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 05: (L-R) Rapper and entrepreneur 50 Cent (C) arrives at the The Playboy Party during Super Bowl Weekend with Playboy Playmates Eugena Washington, Carly Lauren, Hiromi Oshima and Ashley Doris wearing Bunny costumes inspired by the gold detailing on his limited edition EFFEN Vodka football bottle. The Playboy Party celebrated the future of Playboy and its newly redesigned magazine in a transformed space within Lot A of AT&T Park on February 5, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Playboy)

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 05: Playmates Hiromi Oshima, Carly Lauren, Eugena Washington and Ashley Doris wear Bunny costumes inspired by the gold detailing on EFFEN Vodka's limited edition football bottle attend The Playboy Party during Super Bowl Weekend, which celebrated the future of Playboy and its newly redesigned magazine in a transformed space within Lot A of AT&T Park on February 5, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Playboy)

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 11: Model Eugena Washington attends the grand opening of The Attic Rooftop Lounge on June 11, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - JANUARY 22: Model Eugena Washington attends the 5th annual Essence Black Women In Music event at 1 OAK on January 22, 2014 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 10: Models CariDee English and Eugena Washington attend Christian Siriano's Spring Summer Collection 2012 after party at The VAULT at Pfaff's on September 10, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Henry S. Dziekan III/Getty Images for Slate)

CULVER CITY, CA - MARCH 10: Model Eugena Washington walks the runway at the Veronika Jeanvie Fall 2008 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week held at Smashbox Studios on March 10, 2008 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for IMG)